The 11 Best Dental Flosses for Healthy Teeth

Experts agree that flossing regularly is an essential part of your oral care routine and is just as important as brushing your teeth. You should floss at least once a day, says Lauren Becker, DDS, a general and cosmetic dentist with a private practice in New York City. But when it comes to getting the job done, choosing between floss picks, flosser devices, and traditional floss can feel overwhelming. Dr. Becker says the most important thing to look for in floss is finding a flavor and texture you like, which will motivate you to floss consistently. 

We consulted experts and personally tested 27 dental flosses that can work for different oral health conditions and preferences. We also had a dentist on our Medical Expert Board review this article for medical and scientific accuracy. Whether you’re facing a specific dental issue like gingivitis, working around orthodontia, or just looking to keep your teeth and gums healthy, we’ve got the pick for you.

Our Recommendations

• Best Overall: Cocofloss Delicious Mint Dental Floss
• Best Overall Runner-Up: RiseWell Scrubby Floss
• Best Budget-Friendly: Reach Waxed Dental Floss
• Best for Tight Teeth: Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Deep Clean Mint Floss
• Best Handheld: Listerine Ultraclean Access Flosser Starter Kit Bundle
• Best for Braces: Oral-B Super Floss for Braces, Bridges and Wide Gaps
• Best for Kids: The Humble Co Kid’s Plant-based Floss Picks
• Best for Sensitive Gums: Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Comfort Plus Mint Floss
• Best Floss Picks: The Humble Co Plant-Based Floss Picks Grip Handle
• Best Electric Flosser: Flaus Electric Flosser Starter Kit
• Best Biodegradable for Kids: Grin Kids Biodegradable Dental Flossers

The Editor’s Take

I’m a Commerce Editor at Health, and as someone who has battled gingivitis, I understand the critical importance of gum health. The journey to finding the perfect dental floss led me to the Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Comfort Plus Mint Floss, which has been a game-changer for my sensitive gums. Its smooth, shred-resistant texture glides effortlessly between teeth without causing irritation, and the refreshing mint flavor makes flossing a pleasant experience. 

This floss has significantly improved my gum health, reducing inflammation and discomfort. Whether you’re looking for something gentle like the Oral-B Glide or a more traditional waxed floss, we’ve got you covered. 

–Lauren Paige Richeson, Commerce Editor

Our Top Picks

Best Overall:

Cocofloss Coconut-Oil Dental Floss at Amazon $27

Jump to Review

Best Overall Runner-Up:

Risewell Scrubby Floss at Nordstrom $8

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Best Budget-Friendly:

Reach Waxed Dental Floss at Amazon $2

Jump to Review

Best for Tight Teeth:

SALE

 Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Deep Clean Mint Floss at Walmart $8 $6

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Best Handheld:

Listerine Ultraclean Access Flosser Starter Kit at Amazon $27

Jump to Review

Best for Braces:

Oral-B Super Floss Pre-Cut Strands at Amazon $9

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Best for Kids:

The Humble Co Plant-based Floss Picks at Thehumble.co

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Best for Sensitive Gums:

Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Comfort Plus at Amazon $10

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Best Floss Picks:

The Humble Co Floss Picks Grip Handle at Amazon $16

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Best Electric Flosser:

Flaus Electric Flosser Starter Kit at Amazon $119

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Best Overall

Cocofloss Coconut-Oil Dental Floss

PHOTO: Amazon

$27 at Amazon$10 at CVS$20 at Walmart

Why We Like It

Cocofloss Dental Floss worked wonders during testing when getting plaque and food out of our teeth. It stood out for its grippy, slightly sponge-like texture, unlike any floss we’ve used before. Thanks to the unique interwoven fibers that make it up, this floss did a superb job of grabbing any stuck particles from between our teeth. The texture also made it easier to hold while flossing compared to other options we’ve tried.

This vegan floss stands out from the rest because it’s coated in coconut oil, which is naturally antibacterial. Experts also highly recommend it. Dr. Becker and Dr. Parul D. Makkar, DDS, founder of P.D.M Family Dental, both appreciate that this dentist-created, female-founded floss is eco-friendly, comes in a wide variety of flavors, and really allows you to feel the difference in mouth cleanliness after use.

It’s Worth Noting 

This floss might be a little thick for those with crowded teeth, although it’s designed to compress to fit into tight spaces. The unique texture may also take some getting used to since it’s quite different from standard floss.

Product Details:

• Type: Roll
• Flavor: Delicious Mint, Cara Cara Orange, Apple Cinnamon, Banana, Confetti Cake, Dark Chocolate, Fresh Coconuts, Gelato Affogato, Passion Fruit, Pure Peppermint, Pure Strawberry, Summer Watermelon, Sweet Pineapple, Vanilla Bean, Unscented

Best Overall Runner-Up

Risewell Scrubby Floss

PHOTO: Nordstrom

$8 at NordstromView on Risewell.com$5 at Urban Outfitters

Why We Like It

The waxed texture of RiseWell Scrubby Floss made it comfortable and easy to use. It’s a bit thicker than average floss, which made us feel like it removed more debris than previous brands we’ve tried and made it feel extra sturdy. We felt no irritation during testing, and it moved very smoothly between our teeth.

This floss is vegan and made with natural ingredients, like naturally derived hydroxyapatite, which helps fight tooth decay, says Dr. Makkar. It also contains xylitol, which starves bad bacteria to help prevent new cavities from forming.

It’s Worth Noting 

This floss is a little thick, which may make it uncomfortable for someone with tighter spaces between their teeth.

Product Details:

• Type: Roll
• Flavor: Mint

• Health / Melissa Matthews
• Health / Melissa Matthews
• Health / Melissa Matthews

Best Budget-Friendly

Reach Waxed Dental Floss

PHOTO: Amazon

$2 at Amazon$7 at WalmartView on CVS

Why We Like It

We loved how good of a job Reach Waxed Dental Floss did at removing plaque from between our teeth without any extra work on our part. Dr. Makkar recommends this floss because it doesn’t shred and glides easily between teeth due to the waxed surface. We found both true during testing and appreciated that the wax made this a durable and non-irritating choice.

This is a fairly simple, no-fuss floss that gets the job done. Plus, the minty flavor is refreshing and leaves our mouth feeling clean.

It’s Worth Noting 

The waxed texture of this floss may make it difficult for children or people with limited dexterity to use, since it’s a bit slippery.

Product Details:

• Type: Roll
• Flavor: Mint

• Health / Krisha Joshi
• Health / Krisha Joshi

Best for Tight Teeth

Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Deep Clean Mint Floss

PHOTO: Walgreens

$6 at Walmart$5 at Walgreens$10 at CVS

Why We Like It

Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Deep Clean Floss is a great floss for getting into hard-to-reach spaces, says Dr. Makkar. It effectively removed food and plaque from between our teeth, even those with tight contacts. It was easy to maneuver, and it never broke apart while we used it the way some other flosses have.

This is a great choice for those with tight teeth. In our testing, it did a great job of cleaning between our tighter back teeth, which isn’t always easy. Its silky texture allows it to glide smoothly along the gums, making flossing a more comfortable experience.

It’s Worth Noting 

This floss is a bit wider than average, so it could be uncomfortable for some.

Product Details:

• Type: Roll
• Flavor: Mint

Best Handheld

Listerine Ultraclean Access Flosser Starter Kit

PHOTO: Amazon

$23 at Amazon$2 at WalmartView on Instacart.com

Why We Like It

A floss pick design like the Listerine Ultraclean Access Flosser is great for those who have trouble reaching their back teeth. This flosser is about as long as a pencil, making it easy to get into those typically hard-to-reach places. Using it made our daily flossing feel more effective and thorough.

We found this flosser’s reusable handle comfortable to hold, and changing out the flosser heads was straightforward. The floss itself is not too thick, so it glides between teeth with no issue, and we never experienced it breaking.

It’s Worth Noting 

We occasionally struggled with snapping the floss heads onto the handle, but not often enough for it to impact our overall experience during testing.

Product Details:

• Type: Reusable pick
• Flavor: Mint, Unflavored

• Health / Mike Navarro
• Health / Mike Navarro
• Health / Mike Navarro

Best for Braces

Oral-B Super Floss Pre-Cut Strands

PHOTO: Amazon

$9 at Amazon$5 at Target$4 at Walmart

Why We Like It

If you have any sort of orthodontia, Oral-B Super Floss is a great option for you. This floss has a stiff tip at the end, a game changer when threading it through appliances like braces or bridges. It also features a spongy section to help remove larger pieces of food. 

When choosing a type of floss to use with braces, I would usually recommend waxed floss, which slides more easily, says Dr. Karin Grinbaum, DDS, an Orthodontist at Smiles + Grins. This type of floss is usually thicker and can help remove more plaque around the braces and teeth. In our tests, we found this pick especially easy to maneuver around our retainer compared to regular floss.

It’s Worth Noting 

This floss is thin, making it easy to maneuver around orthodontics. While this is a helpful feature, it also means that sometimes, it takes a few passes to make teeth feel completely clean.

Product Details:

• Type: Strands
• Flavor: Mint, Unflavored

• Health / Claire Bates
• Health / Claire Bates
• Health / Claire Bates
• Health / Claire Bates

Best for Kids

The Humble Co Plant-based Floss Picks

PHOTO: Grove

View on Thehumble.coView on Grove.coView on Instacart.com

Why We Like It

Our kids loved the fun, unique dinosaur shape of The Humble Co Kid’s Plant-based Floss Picks enough that it made them actually want to floss their teeth. These picks did a great job of removing plaque and food particles, too. They’re perfect for kids to use independently and comfortable for child-sized hands. We even used them ourselves a few times and were impressed.

These picks never irritated our receding, sensitive gums like some floss can. The floss glided nicely between teeth and didn’t have trouble getting stuck. It is soft and durable, and it never frayed or broke.

It’s Worth Noting 

While this product is mint-flavored, we didn’t taste much.

Product Details:

• Type: Pick
• Flavor: Mint

• Health
• Health
• Health

Best for Sensitive Gums

Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Comfort Plus

PHOTO: Amazon

$9 at Amazon$12 at Walgreens$9 at Walmart

Why We Like It

Oral-B Glide Pro-Health Comfort Plus Mint Floss effectively removed food from between our teeth and along our gum line, leaving our mouth feeling fresh and clean. While it’s a bit thicker than others we tested, the floss’s smoothness makes it easy and comfortable to maneuver between teeth.

This is a great choice for those with sensitive gums. In our testing, this soft, gentle floss did a good job cleaning without irritating our gums or making us bleed.

It’s Worth Noting 

This floss has a silky texture, making it a little difficult to hold onto. Those with limited dexterity may want to reach for something else. The softness also made cutting the floss out of the canister a little bit hard.

Product Details:

• Type: Roll
• Flavor: Mint

• Health / Abby Moore
• Health / Abby Moore

Best Floss Picks

The Humble Co Floss Picks Grip Handle

PHOTO: Amazon

$16 at AmazonView on Thehumble.coView on Grove.co

Why We Like It

We loved that The Humble Co Plant-Based Grip Handle Floss Picks let us get deeper between our teeth than we could with our usual floss. The grip handle design was extremely easy to maneuver around our mouths, making this a great choice for someone with limited dexterity.

The floss is durable and flexible, so we had no problem getting it in and out of tight curves and crevices. And even with sensitive gums, we had no issues with irritation or bleeding when we used these floss picks.

It’s Worth Noting 

Floss picks can be a good option for travel or people with limited mobility, but some dentists warn that they don’t wrap around teeth as well as traditional floss, giving a less complete clean.

Product Details:

• Type: Pick
• Flavor: Mint

• Health / Chantia Murphy
• Health / Chantia Murphy
• Health / Chantia Murphy

Best Electric Flosser

Flaus Electric Flosser Starter Kit

PHOTO: Flaus

$119 at AmazonView on Goflaus.com

Why We Like It

The Flaus Electric Flosser is a unique pick on our list. While it functions as a normal floss pick, it also vibrates to do a little extra work for you and provide a deeper clean. Plaque is like the sticky residue on the top of a stove, explains Dr. Alice Hoang, DMD, FAGD, FICOI, AADSM Qualified Dentist, co-founder of Brooklyn Mint Dental. One swipe won’t clean it sufficiently, it needs a little back and forth with some elbow grease. With this pick, the vibrations help get that extra work in without all the effort.

While this device may sound fancy, it’s very user-friendly. You just attach the flosser head and choose your vibration intensity. The vibrating function of this flosser gives gums a gentle massage as you floss, making flossing a little bit easier than manually threading traditional floss between your teeth. There are three vibration options to customize your experience.

It’s Worth Noting 

This isn’t the most comfortable choice for those with tight spaces between their teeth because the floss is a bit thick.

Product Details:

• Type: Electric pick
• Flavor: Unflavored

Best Biodegradable for Kids

Grin Kids Biodegradable Dental Flossers

PHOTO: Grin

$20 at AmazonView on Grinnatural.com

Why We Like It

The compact Grin Kids Biodegradable Dental Flossers are a perfect choice for young kids who are just learning how to floss. They’re a good size for small hands to grab and maneuver, especially around hard-to-reach back teeth. Dr. Liel Grinbaum, DMD, pediatric dentist and owner of Smiles + Grins, consistently recommends this product for pediatric patients because of its small size and eco-friendly design.

The floss isn’t too thick, making it gentle for children’s gums. Our kids didn’t experience any irritation. Plus, it glides nicely and didn’t break or fray during our testing.

It’s Worth Noting 

The colors on the packaging looked slightly different from what was inside, so if your kids are really set on a color, beware!

Product Details:

• Type: Pick
• Flavor: Unflavored

• Health
• Health
• Health
• Health

More Dental Flosses to Consider

• Burst Oral Care BURSTkids Flossables: We really liked that the floss in these children’s floss picks is black, emphasizing any gunk our kids pulled out of our teeth. However, the floss was pretty thick, making it harder to get between tight openings. It also tends to fray and shed during use.
• drTung’s Smart Floss: This floss was easy to maneuver into hard-to-reach areas of our mouths, but the case is made out of paperboard, which felt a bit flimsy and could get damaged if it got wet.
• Grin Adult Biodegradable Dental Floss Picks: These floss picks are great for getting into nooks and crannies between tight teeth, but the floss is so thin that it doesn’t do a great job removing plaque and smaller food particles.

Our Testing Process

To date, we’ve tested 27 different types of dental floss, spending 56 hours flossing our teeth at home. We’ve evaluated each floss based on a number of factors, from ease of use to flavor. To narrow down our top picks, we looked at the following:

• Effectiveness: We took detailed notes on how well these products removed food particles and plaque from between our teeth and along our gum lines compared to the flosses we’ve used. We also considered how they worked for different dental conditions we have and whether the floss had any special features.
• Ease of Use: After consistently using these products for 30 days, we examined their thickness and texture to determine how easy they were to maneuver around our mouths. This included how well they slid between teeth and whether they frayed or broke easily. We also considered whether they’d work for people with different hand sizes, limited dexterity, and children.
• Gentleness: We noted whether the floss caused gum irritation or bleeding, the feeling of their coatings against our gums, and whether people with gum concerns like gingivitis or receding gums could use the floss comfortably.

Our Experts 

We spoke to dentists and orthodontists to learn what to look for when choosing dental floss, the best flossing techniques, and their best flossing tips and recommendations.

• Lauren Becker, DDS, a general and cosmetic dentist with a private practice in New York City
• Alice Hoang, DMD, FAGD, FICOI, AADSM Qualified Dentist, and co-founder of Brooklyn Mint Dental
• Karin Grinbaum, DDS, Orthodontist at Smiles + Grins
• Liel Grinbaum, DMD, pediatric dentist and owner of Smiles + Grins
• Parul D. Makkar, DDS, founder of P.D.M Family Dental

What to Know About Dental Floss

• Type: Traditional floss is considered the gold standard among the dentists and orthodontists we spoke to. While floss picks are better than nothing, they generally aren’t able to clean teeth as thoroughly as regular floss. Keep in mind, though, that floss picks can be easier to use for someone with limited dexterity and can work for cleaning teeth in a pinch.
• Material and Coating: Modern floss comes in a variety of materials and coatings, including wax, coconut oil (like Cocofloss, our best overall pick), and unwaxed spongy or silky textures. What you should use really comes down to preference and individual concerns. Our experts agree that you should pick a floss you’ll willingly use consistently, and if you have specific concerns, your dentist can help you choose the best option.
• Your Dental Concerns: Floss comes in a range of thicknesses and materials that can be ideal for different dental conditions. Ultra-thin floss is great for those with crowded teeth, while wide works best for people with more spacing. For those with braces or bridges, a floss like Oral-B Super Floss with a hard end can help glide floss around appliances, says Dr. Hoang and Dr. Karin Grinbaum.
• When to Floss: Our experts agree that flossing should be done once a day, if not more. Flossing after eating can help keep teeth clean throughout the day. You should also floss before brushing your teeth to loosen up food particles and plaque.

Who We Are

Cara Milhaven is a writer passionate about testing health products to determine which work up to their claims and can benefit Health readers the most. She has interviewed numerous experts in the health, wellness, and beauty industries to research products and health trends thoroughly (and she flosses every day!).